LOVE NOTES

TESTIMONIALS

Read testimonials from our thousands of students and graduates.

BECOME A STUDENT

STUDENT REVIEWS

This course has helped me ground myself in a nourishing spiritual practice. It’s opened up new channels of knowing, sensing, and communication. Marysia has a piercingly strong connection to the plant realm and an incredible ability to hold space for others to journey with her. Under her guidance we learned invaluable life tools and wisdoms that are ready to be reclaimed. I'm incredibly honored to have these teachings passed on to me.

Saewon Oh,

This course is everything and MORE. Not only do you learn the properties of plants, but you attune yourself to truly commune with them and all living things. This course guides you to connect to your innate intuition. It slows you down. It acts as intense therapy. It reintroduces you to Earth. Essentially, it brings you back home. This is a highly transformative experience mentally, physically, and emotionally and should be a requirement for all human beings. Our world would be a much nicer place.

— Cat Fairchild

With Marysia’s guidance in plant meditations, shamanic journeys and other calming and nourishing practices, I was reclaiming, renewing and remembering my spirit and getting hands-on healing from the plants while deepening my love for nature and mother earth. Marysia taught us that in connecting to the spirits of the plants through devotion and love we would create beautiful relationships that lead to powerful medicine. I am so grateful for learning this sacred and spiritual path of herbalism.

— Marianna Gilles

“You will meet plant spirits in ways that will tickle your heart and wake your soul. They will become allies, friends and lovers and their innate intelligence will move your very being.”

Krissy Welch

Two women enjoying a sunny outdoor event, one wearing a red floral dress with a flower crown, and the other in a white floral dress. They are surrounded by people and roses, with trees and a clear sky in the background.

I’ve spent a lifetime in half-connection with the magical plant world around me, but never seemed to be fully connected. The Gaia school and Marysia’s loving, magical and disciplined program opened my heart, freed my mind and showed me how to be fully present for the bountiful beauty and healing Mother Earth offers to all of her children. Claim your right to walk this earth in reciprocity and abundance with all living creatures. Take your place in the circle of life as a human being that gives more than we receive. The Gaia School of Healing and Earth Education will bring you home to yourself and the sacred earth.

Cindy Saylor
My experience in the Gaia School of Healing Apprenticeship was more than I could have ever dreamed or asked for. I came to study herbalism from a more spiritual perspective, to connect with the plants and the earth and learn about their healing and teachings. What I experienced was a spiritual journey that transformed my heart, my soul, and my life. Marysia is an amazing teacher, guide, and conduit. The magick, love and wisdom she brought to the experience was essential to the depth at which the teachings resonated within me and penetrated my being. I will be forever grateful for all that I have learned from her, from the plants, and of myself through this journey.

Christy Rumbaugh
Connecting with Marysia and the beautiful plants has been so magical…a truly transformative experience that has been a catalyst for healing on a deep level. Marysia is able to create a space that is both safe and sacred, thus allowing individuals to experience the wisdom and love of these amazing plants and herbs. Marysia brings joy and passion to her teaching that is contagious. I feel like my soul and physical body have been touched with such nurturing and nourishment, that my very essence has been affected. My understanding and knowledge of healing has also greatly expanded, which is tremendously empowering!

Dana Baer
I studied under Marysia Miernowska in a nine month herbal course along with 16 other students. Saying she is a great teacher doesn't come close to describing her. Marysia leads by example and she teaches from many modalities. We learned through direct experience and interactions with the plants, through reading and resources, through hands on making of herbal medicines and more.She draws from the wisdom of master teachers in her life as well as the Wise Woman tradition handed down through the ages. She encourages her students to take in the essence of all they come in contact with, to have reverence for nature and to be responsible stewards of the earth. I highly recommend this course to anyone that is ready to step into the magical realm of plants and be guided by this beautiful mentor.

Sherri Delaplane
I have a new awareness and experience of the world - and everything in, on, and above it - as a great “whole” longing for expression and communion. And an awareness that each one of us, like each plant or tree or star in the sky, is an individual piece of the whole, wholly unique and valuable, a vital part of the health and beauty of the great web of life. The Gaia program has opened my eyes to the greater reality of the world, the planet, the spirit realm and the magic of plant-spirit-medicine.

Sasha Watts
I mostly have no words for how special I think Marysia is and how she has impacted my life. Her knowledge of herbal medicine is deep and comprehensive but her understanding of the spirit realm is even deeper. Through plant meditation, lecture, discussion, sharing, ceremony, ritual and pure love, Marysia took us on a 10 month journey into remembering ourselves as the magical healers that we have always been. She activated a “knowing” in all of us that we are here not only to tend to our own divine spirit but to never forget to tend to our beautiful Gaia.

Monique de Loach
I say with full confidence that Marysia is the most authentic and true teacher I've been honored to be a student of. I believe we have had this transformation and opening to this holy realm not only because of the plants, but because of her unparalleled guidance. She is present, she is passionate, she is love, and gives it to her students unconditionally. There are practices from this course, like shamanic journeying, making medicine, the self care wheel, calling in the directions and of course, plant spirit meditations, that I will continue in my life and use forever. Thank you Marysia for this unforgettable and majestic journey.

Natalie Holbrook
I had just finished a disagreement with a loved one. I walked to my car. Head down, tears in my eyes, sadness abound. Suddenly, I felt a presence and what followed was a whisper: ‘look up.’ I turned my gaze upward and there I saw these beautiful flowers dangling from a tree. Each one with their petals open to the source of their center. With a gentle gust of wind, a flower fell to my hand. At that moment, the tree and I had a conversation, one filled with adoration for the other: I admired the tree and how open her flowers remained, while she admired me and my flow of tears; both of us expressing ourselves. I smiled and felt so much better. This is what the Gaia School of Healing has taught me. Specifically, Marysia has shown me how to reinvigorate the connection we as humans have to nature. I have never felt so alive as I do now, largely because I feel so connected to the cycles of nature and fully know I too am one of her beautiful flowers. This program is meant for every being to rediscover their truth and their rightful place in the garden of life.

Elyce Talavera
I grew so much in my understanding of the plant spirit realm and in my connection to plants. I truly appreciate the technical botany articles and plethora of knowledge in the course materials that I can look through for guidance as I gain more practical experience. I have been involved in permaculture and organic gardening for years, but this class took me into other realms to really meet the plants intimately which helped me to deepen my knowledge for healing myself and others!

Carolyn C. Joy Dasher
Here you will read testimonials about life-changing experiences, profundity beyond words, and miracles - this is no fluff. The Sacred Medicine Apprenticeship is a metamorphosis designed for you to heal yourself on your own terms. I am stepping into my own, finally, holding sovereignty in my life for my own healing as an earth activist. Marysia's offerings go far beyond teas and tinctures - this is a revolutionary uprising. Marysia radically asked me to trust myself, to trust my intuition, and to trust in Gaia's wisdom - this freedom granted me the responsibility to allow myself to heal. At times, I wanted a cure, a savior, an exorcism, or a way out; our society is full of these insane conventions. I am rewilding that well-trodden path and choosing another way. The Wise Woman tradition invited me to play in the garden where I practiced my strength, courage, intuition and equanimity. In turn I was granted songs of praise, personal integrity, family, and real deep nourishment.

Lucia Santina
The Gaia Apprenticeship Course was a journey into my soul and a transformative experience. It’s hard to describe in words. It’s like entering a beautiful dream and realizing you are finally home. The yearning in my heart to connect with something deeper was realized and the ancient wisdom teachings connected me with the earth, the universe and to myself. It is a profound experience. It’s like a handbook to life and will leave you with a deep reverence for the earth and what it means to be human. Marysia is the heart of it all. She shares her wealth of knowledge while also intuitively seeing into the hearts of each of her students while humbly guiding us as we awaken and trust our own intuitive deep listening. Thank you Marysia – you awakened me and taught my soul to FLY!

Lisa Christensen
Going into this course I was a total NOVICE. I knew I was called to the plants, I knew I wanted to learn, to build a home apothecary, to make medicine. But I had NO IDEA...my life would be changed forever in the best possible way I could imagine. The teachings I received from our beloved teacher, Marysia- were healing, and inspiring, and sometimes jaw dropping, mind blowing, AHA moments. Marysia is the most selfless teacher I have ever known. She devotes herself to Gaia and to her students with a deep love and devotion. She is WISE beyond her years- and so humble. So, so, so, very humble. It was a true privilege to learn from her. After my 10 month journey in this course, I did build a home apothecary. I now have tinctures, and tonics, and glycerins, and teas filling my shelves. But ALSO- my shoulders feel lighter, my nervous system is calmer, my energy has improved, my days are spent with more mindfulness and rest. My eyes are brighter and my fingernails are dirtier. Thank you Marysia, thank you GAIA school, thank you Gaia sisters and brothers, thank you Grandmother Oak, thank you Plumcot Farm. Merry meet, merry part, merry meet again. Blessed be.

Mimi Karsh Narducci

If your heart has ever longed for a connection you can’t quite put your finger on…or if you have ever heard the call of the wild through a flower, the hoot of an owl or the tug of your feet down a dirt path then this school is for you.

Cindy Saylor

Assorted herbs and leaves on a white cloth next to an open book and stone

Marysia is far and wide one of the most passionate Teachers with whom I have had the privilege of studying. If you approach her with an open heart, she will help you to learn far more than just the constituents and properties of herbs. She will help you to remember the community of Plant Spirits and the loving connection with all of Gaia that is our birthright as creatures of this planet.

Katrina dela Cruz
I think what differentiates this program from any other herbalist school is the sacred practices, rituals and co-creating with the elements, the land & Mother Nature. Marysia has such a vibrant, powerful way of speaking in linear & non linear terms, meaning she is rooted in the science of the plants & their medicinal properties but at the same time she can feel the land speak and listens. Her wisdom & her love for the plants is inspiring & powerful to witness. She holds impeccable space for the group, & her commitment to this work is so inspiring.

Michelle Lyle
The Gaia School classes, Marysia , and my classmates have literally been life-changing for me. Not only have they connected me more deeply with the earth, which is so important to me, and introduced me to powerful plant allies, but have taught me ways to see deeper into my own needs and ways of fulfilling these to try to connect more completely with life. I will take those connections, my tools and especially my plant allies with me as I strive to live as fully and joyously as possible from now on.

Rosemary Kaul
How does one explain the complete transformation of one’s life in a paragraph? In fact, Marysia and the beloved Gaia school community has transformed our whole family’s lives right down to our pups! I knew the plants and pachamama were calling me and when I was sitting in meditation one day and was told I needed to sit with the plants. I went straight to researching where I could learn about them. I had to wait two years before a spot opened and it was BEYOND worth it. Marysia is a true conduit of the Divine. Her beautiful spirit, intelligence, vulnerability, passion, compassion, and knowledge go way beyond the physical realms, her intuition and her deep deep love of all that is seen and unseen moves my soul and brings a centeredness to my life I have never known. I am deeply in love with the earth, the stars, the sun, the moon, all life that is here to teach us, hold space for us and heal us. Marysia will bring you on a journey of unknown bliss, deep healing in this world and open up new portals for new and deeper conscious ways of being. Come join her on this miraculous way of being and watch yourself soar!!

Krissy Welch
I’d like to share with you how I have discovered how unique this practice is. I have learned to walk the beauty way and to revere those that have gone before me. I have experienced the consciousness of the plants. The plant allies have assisted me in many breakthroughs and have raised my frequency multiple times for deep, satisfying joy. To have joy... is different than being happy. To have joy is a level of fulfillment that permeates every cell and fills the heart full with a real sense of purpose and peace, to be able to share that knowingness. To know grief and to find joy is transformative. To accept that both embody the same vehicle is much like the medicine of the plants. They come bearing their gifts, yet each gift can be different to each body, and can inflict pain and medicine, they are our ancient ones, our teachers. They have come to serve and to be fulfilled, just like you and I. I have learned from you Marysia to be bold, courageous, to walk gentle on this earth the way of beauty and to love deeply all the directions, elements, winged and legged, to fall in love over and over the plant allies... to discover like a child, to dream, to find communion with the spirits of our ancestors and to work with the unseen ones and be endowed with a wealth of medicine for my own soul. ~I have deep gratitude~

Geri Pope
I’ve studied Functional Medicine and Nutrition for over 14 years learning through innovative and Integrative doctors and scientists in conferences, books, programs, and have received certifications and titles, yet as incredibly powerful and full of amazing tools and information to support a more holistic, root cause, and whole person approach to healing beyond allopathic western medicine, none have gone quite as deep, as rich, or as rooted in the essence of wholly healing as I’ve felt through studying with Marysia in The Gaia School of Healing Sacred Plant Medicine and Herbalism Apprenticeship. It’s impossible to describe my journey these past 10 months, only that it’s been so sweet, nourishing and sacred, feels ancient and truly a re-membering of my being and how I can better move through the world and offer a more complete web of healing support to myself, loved ones, clients, and the Earth’s body herself. My medicine is to weave these together, the potent threads of integrative nutrition and modern tools, with reconnecting us to the ancient power of our intuition, our connection to our body’s whispering needs, and using plant allies and nature’s wisdom to nourish this sweet vessel and soul. Thank you endlessly to Marysia and Sage, all my plant teachers and allies, mama Gaia, and our circle and family of witches carrying forth the wise woman tradition of healing in all our own unique ways. It is just the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the earth and her magic.

Colleen Baxter
The journey has been nothing short of miraculous in how it is teaching me about myself, my body and everything else. Relationships, attitudes, emotions and so much more. It blows my mind to see how each month coincides with what has been happening in my life and how the training has been like a supportive sidekick hiding in the shadows but always there, helping me through every situation. I love seeing changes in myself and as I spread my knowledge, seeing changes in others. I’m still quite hesitant about stepping into the role of being a herbalist, or calling myself one. I know it’s already happening. I’m looking forward to learning more and embracing it fully. I can’t walk past a plant without noticing how it ‘feels’. Be it happy, sad, neglected, afraid, whatever it is, I love how this is now my reaction to plants. That I’m sitting at home or at work and can ‘feel’ a plant working or communicating with me. I love how this training has opened my eyes fully to the life that exists all around us. I ‘knew’ of it before but since beginning the course, I can now feel and sense it. It is one of the most profound practices in feeling at ‘home’ in ourselves, working with plants. My life will never be the same again and I am ever so grateful for it. It has also been amazing to do this apprenticeship as a male. I believe every single man needs to do some form of training or workshop in the Wise Woman tradition. It has given me such a beautiful insight and understanding into just how POWERFUL and MAGICAL the role of a woman really is. Teachings that really would shift how the world works if every man was to sit and study them. I feel so privileged to be a part of this circle It’s hard to pick any teaching or practices that have been particularly helpful for me as I have found all of the teaching and practices to be absolutely wonderful and beneficial. I love your teaching style too, it’s fun, playful but you mean business when things need to get serious. A trait I always admire in certain shamans I meet on my travels. I take my hat off to your work and this apprenticeship! Amazing!

Michael Rob Costine
Marysia Miernowska is a Soul of remarkable integrity, who speaks to the process and cycles of life in ways that connect all beings to their highest selves. I took her Herbalism Apprenticeship September 2019 to June 2020, and I am floored at her boundless capacity for all she does. While teaching this course, she also successfully, and with deep focus, led retreats and workshops, cared for her family, her shop, and other collaborations, and created and maintained a consistent presence online when Covid-19 became a reality and hindered in-person magic-making. I had doubts that the class could hold the same magic, but she went out of her way to hold to her promises, and thought way outside of the box to make sure we all still got the most out of our experience with her. I surrendered to whatever would happen and I'm so glad I did. Despite the last few months being virtually engaged, I had such an amazing time as all external realities seemed to be woven into the magic loom we had created in powerful ways, that even still led me to create potent medicine, which she kindly encouraged. Marysia leads people in the limitless possibilities of the Spirit Realm, while simultaneously connecting them to deep grounding, that one-foot-in-one-foot-out exploration. I absolutely loved the Magic she created with and for us, her incredible heart and head knowledge of the Plants and their offerings, and her gem-tone essence is so beautiful and so pleasant to be near. I highly recommend any kind of experience with her; it is bound to be extraordinary.

Katrina Davis
For years I followed the beautiful posts from the Gaia School with my heart full of longing to live inside those images of barefoot apprentices, gathered together in fields and gardens with baskets full of rose petals and wild weeds. Finally the conditions aligned in my life to make space for this dream to come true, and it has been even more magical, joyous and empowering than I could have imagined. My heart and mind are just blown wide open upon the completion of this apprenticeship; it has been nothing short of extraordinary to witness the spiraling journey into thriving and flourishing within myself and the incredible circle of people who have become my dearest friends. The Gaia School is a brilliantly designed 10 month portal of transformation, supported by the currents of the seasons, from the shedding of layers in the fall, to the winter dying back, spring rebirth and summer fruit. At the completion of this journey I find myself ripe with confidence and abundance; my cupboards are full of delicious, potent, natural medicine, and my heart is bursting with gratitude. As an art therapist and somatic psychotherapist for over ten years, I have lots of experience and formal training in mind-body-spirit healing, and I found the teachings of the Wise Woman Tradition of Herbalism to be a revitalizing addition to my education that has deepened my skills in holding space, nourishing my patients and empowering them to trust their own intuitive wisdom. It’s added a new dimension to my work that I am so excited about, and it’s been so cool to see all the ways that my cohort’s careers are shifting and transforming as they integrate this knowledge into their work and lives. Marysia is a masterful teacher who has an uncanny ability to keep it real, grounded and authentic, and at the same time channel some seriously magical cosmic wisdom from the spirit realms! She is ethical, egalitarian and kind. People of diverse genders, cultures, ages, and ethnicities feel welcomed and seen in her circles. I cherish the diversity of our Gaia community. Her own deep connection to the ancestral earth-honoring traditions of her lineage reverberate in her teachings. Her commitment to environmental and social justice is unwavering; earth activism rooted in love is interwoven within the ever growing community of passionate healers that seek apprenticeship with her. In times like these, it’s very easy to feel hopeless and powerless. Marysia’s teachings, and the Gaia community, have given me back my hope and my power.

Oceana Blueskyes
Marysia is an excellent teacher - she is a living example of her teachings and conveys the knowledge from a deeply spiritual place, with great reverence. She is also really fun to be with and makes sure to spend time with each student to build a relationship that goes beyond the material studied. She allowed the class to grow together organically by guiding us through beautiful rituals and personal shares in our circle. It did not take long for us apprentices to form a loving, supportive, sisterly group to the point that we decided, once the program ended, to stay in touch and learn together for the rest of our lives. Marysia transitioned into teaching us online, once we were not allowed to meet as a group anymore. Her spirit and care came through the screen, and I felt equally supported as I had before. As a graduate, I feel that I am just at the beginning of a rich and fulfilling journey that will take me deeper into the plant (spirit) world where I can play, learn, create, and share what I learned. I feel deeply nourished, accomplished, proud, and inspired. I have participated in many teacher trainings, programs, and workshops. The Gaia School of Healing is by far my favorite and has brought me the greatest inspiration and transformation. Bless it be.

Beate Chee
The Gaia School of Healing 10 month Apprenticeship was life changing. Like really life changing. I am not the same person as I was last year and I'm very excited about. I've never known what it's like to be feminine. Growing up, everything that was remotely feminine wasn't accepted. I healed from my childhood trauma surrounding women and now I have so many Gaia sisters I love so so much. I never knew how to embrace femininity and I never knew it could feel so good. I developed a relationship with plants like no other. I take plants walks, hug trees, and started appreciating the world around me- even recognizes mother earth and father sky as beloved. I take more pauses in life. I nourish my nervous system and shift consciousness. I honor myself. I HONOR MYSELF!! I never knew that was a thing. I explored and learned about the chakra system, the elements and plant spirits. I sit with plants and can identify them in the wild. Just the other day, I was walking on La Brea and Fountain Ave in Los Angeles and I saw two Ginkgo trees. I screamed and cried in joy. The feeling of seeing Ginkgo, I hugged and embraced her. It made my day. I was introduced to the beloved Schisandra, my favorite herb. Expressing how Schisandra made me feel after a plant meditation and then Marysia confirming the actions of the herb with my experience, best day of my life. I've had the spirit of Schisandra ever since. Marysia is a phenomenal teacher. Seeing her love and passion for herbalism is inspiring. I wish all teachers were like Marysia. Her vulnerability, kindness, wisdom, love, and devotion for our planet is like no other. She's a true gift to this world and I am HONORED to have her as a master teacher. I am lucky to experience her gift and her love. I am crying as I write this but Marysia, saved my life. She activated something inside me that I never knew was there, and that's love. I replaced fear with love and I've been loving every one and every living thing since.

Tracy Warr
This class has been life-changing. I grew up in a very logical-minded family of Western medicine doctors and ended up being a Western medicine doctor myself. Even though I had an interest in topics like chakras, energy healing, and herbalism, I really didn't know anything in these topics before the class started. I had no idea what a spiritual transformation I would be in for! I am now more aware of the existence of the nonphysical realm in our everyday lives, and how our energy and vibration levels affect our lives and the world on the physical plane. In the class, we work with Gaia (the Earth), Spirits, and plant allies to help us become more aware of our vibrations and to shift it in order to help us and the world heal. By working with our plant allies and other tools provided by Marysia, I began to understand what it means to provide love and nourishment to myself and to the earth on different levels, including body, mind, and soul. This class was a journey of self-discovery and self-love. I have moved away from logic-based thinking into finding a balance of using my head and my heart. I am much more aware of karmic patterns and blocks that I would like to heal. Best of all, I have so many more tools I can use to help others on their own healing journeys as well. Thank you Marysia for all you have done to help me progress in my journey into becoming a healer!

Meghan Jain
The Gaia School of Plant Medicine and Healing is a powerful course that led me through the seasons, the chakras on a beautiful journey of plant medicine. Marysia guides us intimately into a web of connection with the earth, its plant allies and creatures. As we begin to familiarize with categories of plants and their medicinal properties, we also began to meet the plant spirits themselves. Working with the healing elementals we began to heal ourselves. I became more grounded and rooted to my town, my home and really myself as we worked monthly with key nourishing herbs. Expanding onto the nervines and adaptogens, my immune system was strengthened. My awareness and trust in my own intuition grew. I was timid at first to believe that I could help others with this knowledge but my daughter became ill and I was able to prescribe herbs that helped. Little by little I healed my chronic hip injury and became calmer and more grounded. During the corona virus my plant knowledge gave me confidence and calm under this pandemic. I am so grateful for this journey and will use this knowledge for the rest of my life.

Cecilie Stuart
The journey this year with Marysia through the Gaia school of healing has been a gift beyond my wildest dreams. What I thought would be an in depth dive into folk herbalism was not only that but also a journey back to myself through the medicine of Gaia and the plants allies. It was a path to wholeness, mothering the mother, nourishing the depths of my nervous system and healing my entire being. I so trust the divine timing of this process and I am beyond grateful to call Marysia a beloved teacher and Gaia Sister. I came to class with strong new mama energy that needed deep nourishment, and was so eager, open and willing to connect with the plant spirits. This course brought me back to life and fully nourished me in ways I didn’t know possible. The plants spoke so strong and their messages so clear. As soon as the plants nourished me and my soul back to life and full vitality, I found myself pregnant once again during our journey into the sacral chakra. I can’t imagine a more magical journey to be on while pregnant physically with child and spiritually with the seed of Gaia. I revel in the fact that this is just the beginning of a lifelong journey I am on with the plant spirits, magic and medicine of mother Earth.

Jilliane Gaffney
Tears of gratitude have just started to flow as I reflect upon the life altering year that I have experienced with the Gaia School of Healing and Earth Education in Malibu. I have always been a seeker - a lifelong learner - and as a result I have trained in many different healing modalities. From Polarity Therapy to Water Release Therapy, to a foundation year in TCM at Emperor’s College in Santa Monica, to Reiki and Sound Bath Healing but the most profound area of study has been with Marysia and the Gaia school. With a heart full of love and gratitude I thank you for the initiation into the plant world. I am forever changed and can finally say I have found my true calling as an Herbalist.

Lara Carrigan
The Gaia School of Healing has been life changing. I feel as if the miracle of nature has opened up to me for the first time. Now when I am in nature I am excited by all the beautiful plants and trees and I see them through a new lens. Not only has it benefited me in countless ways but I have shared this wisdom with my family and friends and everyone is grateful for the deep nourishment and healing. I am forever grateful for the joy, friendships and deep spiritual journey Marysia has led us on. As a yoga teacher I feel this knowledge was a missing piece I had never learned to connect with. I was always reaching for the heavens but now that I have discovered a deep love and appreciation for mother gaia I feel balanced between heaven and earth. Gaia School of healing connects the chakras with the seasons with the herbs to infinite love and wisdom. Thank you Marysia for opening your heart and sharing your infinite love.

Melissa Breslow
I don’t know if I found the Gaia School or if the Gaia School found me. There is no perfect language to describe the profound impact this program has had on my life. I've always looked at herbs and dreamt of knowing what they did and how they were medicinal but i never even thought to ask WHO they are. To recognize their spirits and work with them as teachers. There is so much knowledge to be gained from this class. On a basic level you learn an incredible amount. You learn how to identify plants, to know what plants heal what and support what, how to make medicines and salves and tinctures etc… You learn all of the things you want to know. Then there is the MAGICK. The magick you may not have fully understood or even existed, but if you are called to this course, somewhere inside of you there is a tiny voice that is well aware not just of the magick of this course, but of all the magick YOU hold in your bones, the magick of your reconnection with nature, the magick of your birthright, and all of the magick this earth that we live on has to teach us. We have access to the greater teacher if we can learn how to listen. Maryisa teaches you to learn how to listen so that you may be in true communion with the earth. I came to this course wanting to know how to heal myself, through the herbs. I also thought it would be super fucking cool to know how to make cough syrup and salves. What I couldn’t have imagined or planned for was the deeper spiritual healing this class guides you through. There have always been these faint whispers in my ears that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. A little bit of an unknown longing in my bones that i could never put my finger on, sometimes it has felt as though I am walking through life wearing a costume that makes me look human, but fuck if i know how to be human- “I don’t on this planet" I’ve always thought to myself. The world as we live in it now never made sense to me. I was a little insecure, a little out of place, and a lot brave. The brave is what brought me to this class. This class is what brought me home to myself. Maryisa is an INCREDIBLE teacher. She is basically a fucking wikipedia page on herbs, medicines, plants, flowers, farming, landscaping, all things earth and so much more. Beyond that she is an incredible healer, who walks the path of healing herself and has been on that path for I’m sure a very long time. She has done her own work and in her doing her work, she is able to bring that knowledge back and guide others. I like to joke that you can’t be a tour guide of NYC if you have never been to NYC. Meaning, Maryisa has clearly walked the path of self healing and because she has shown up for herself, she shows up so clean for her students, and so profoundly shows us how to show up for ourselves. That is the MAGICK of this class. Maryisa gives you what you pay for, you leave this course having a deep relationship and strong foundational knowledge of herbs. The GIFT Maryisa gives you is yourself. You fucking get to come home to yourself in a way that the society we currently live in discourages us from being at home with ourselves. They want us to buy, spend, produce, constantly look for things outside of ourselves to bring us comfort. BUT THAT IS THE RUB! These external things will never actually fill our spiritual wells. This class IS THE FUCKING REVOLUTION! Reconnection with earth, reconnection with ourselves. To be self-sufficient, to have agency over our bodies and know that the earth provides us everything we need and we are deeply loved and held no matter what no matter what. Also great to know that lavender oil is good for burns. Thank you Maryisa! Thank you Sage!

Sam Saifer
Participating in the Plant Medicine Apprenticeship with Marysia Miernowska has been a highlight of my life. There were so many twists and turns and unexpected miracles that happened to me and the precious group that I feel privileged to have studied with. Not only is Marysia a fountain of wisdom of all things earth, her abundant love in sharing her treasures is the magic mixture that created the community that filled my heart with new soulful friends who resonate with the same values that I hold. I am without a doubt a different human after having graduated and with that, I share this energy with all the people I come into contact with. As I call myself an herbalist now, I feel in union with the sun, the moon and the stars.

Leigh Bantivoglio
The Gaia School of Healing apprenticeship in Malibu has been LIFE CHANGING for me. The Wise Woman healing tradition, taught by Marysia Miernowska, is such an important modality for any healer and earth advocate (regardless of gender identification) to deepen their understanding of, and experience first hand. This apprenticeship allowed me to comprehend, from day 1, what it means to truly embody the feminine. It’s something that I was unable to understand for so long based on growing up in our society and working in the corporate world for many years - but it was the most beautiful awakening to be able to not only see – modeled so beautifully by Marysia, my group, the herbs and all the teachings, but to really FEEL what it meant in MY body and in my energy. I have been in the energy healing space for the last several years and I kept wanting to deepen my knowledge of the chakra system - by reading different books or finding different teachers to study from outside of what I already had in the years prior - and I intuitively kept getting to wait… and it made so much sense when we started this course why – as this was the course that finally MADE SENSE to me on every level. There was no confusion about it at all and I learned it in a language that my brain/heart/body needed to hear. To be able to learn in an outdoor space for most of the program, shoes off, no phones, communal potluck, was transformative to me as well and reinforced the importance of shifting how we/our children are currently learning and how being able to commune with nature can help enhance what/how we are ingesting – regardless of the teachings or the location. One of the most impactful parts of each month were the incredible rituals that allowed us to tangibly experience what we were learning in unique and creative ways that were deeply intentioned – each and every one was so affecting and powerful.It was also incredible how we created a relationship with each herb through a guided tea meditation – it felt so sacred and profound every single time and taught us how to drop in to deep presence with something we have all done so often prior but always took for granted. I can’t imagine my initial experience in an herbalism course being with any other teacher. My expectations were exceeded tremendously. This is the type of course that everyone, at all ages, should be required to take eventually. It would shift humanity so tremendously and for that I am so grateful that each of us get to take these teachings and help share them to our communities. List Item

Julie Hovsepian
The 10 month apprenticeship with the Gaia school of healing has been a transformative year beyond belief and I don't want it to be over. I have learned invaluable knowledge about how to make my own herbal medicines, how to find and connect with my own plant allies, what herbs to use for different blockages or ailments etc I also loved learning more about how to set up sacred space, call in the directions, use sacred smokes, learn shamanic journeying and bodywork..ahh so much, it's been an epic year!! I have gone to a completely non toxic lifestyle during this year with the knowledge and inspiration of Marysia and my new found community of green witches and I would have never thought year ago that I would leave my 17-year long career in fashion to move to the countryside to nourish my body, mind and spirit with a more stress and toxin-free lifestyle. Marysia is the most inspiring teacher I have ever had and never a second was dull. She is a wise woman with knowledge beyond her years and whoever gets the chance to learn from her is blessed.Forever grateful for this year and for this new path I am on.

Nina Wiger
The Gaia School of Healing has been so much more than a herbal medicine course. It has been a deep and profound remembrance from the amnesia that we have have ever been separate from the earth and from each other. The relationships it cultivates with the plants is nothing you could ever read from a book. This is the ancient knowledge passed down from generation to generation that has lost its way through our modernization. I can’t describe the joy that comes from reconnecting with plants that your soul has been in deep relationship with for millennia. It has been like meeting my best friend after being separated for years. I have reconnected with lost parts of myself that desperately needed to be reclaimed. I now have a deep and intuitive understanding of over 60 different plants and how to use them. I have reconnected with what it means to be a healer, and the beautiful responsibility of reclaiming this title for myself. I feel so grateful and lucky to have learned these practical and spiritual methods of healing myself, others, and the earth. This year has been completely life changing, and has peeled away so many of the layers that have kept me sleeping. My loving towards humanity, myself, and for the earth continues to grow, and I am so deeply grateful this program found me. With deepest love,

Maria Haddad
My healing journey with the Gaia School of Healing, CA and Marysia Miernowska has been divinely guided, protected and initiated! Marysia's knowledge of the plants and her connection with them is deep truth, and truly wonderful to witness, participate in and be guided by. We (her students) were held in a powerful container of Earth wisdom, nurturing a deep and healing love of the plants, of Mother Earth and of each other. The journey has been challenging at times, the plants enabling me to face some of my deepest fears to bring forth truth. For truth is love. Love is acceptance. We are all children of Mother Earth and Father Sky and there is nothing to fear, there is only love.I encourage you, on your journey, if this message calls to you, to embrace Marysia and the healing power of the plant kingdom. We are all part of the giant web of creation, weaving a tapestry of beauty, light and love. We are sisters and brothers bringing this beautiful planet Earth back to her natural state of healing love. Mother Earth loves us so much and Marysia is her vessel of that love! Thank you Marysia. Thank you Divine Mother Earth, Father Sky the plant kingdom, my guides and teachers, and my brothers and sisters on this incredible journey! Sat Nam,

Julie Melton
I am filled with gratitude for The Gaia School of Healing and the teachings from Marysia Miernowska. This was not only an informative apprenticeship program, but also a spiritual and healing journey that I am most grateful for. I started with not knowing a thing about plant medicinal properties and the connection that one can have with nature and spirit. And now, my life has shifted in a way that many should experience. I left with so much knowledge, support, and information that I will continue using for the rest of my life. I have much to learn and I'm looking forward to what next is offered. If you are reading this, I highly recommend looking further into any programs offered by The Gaia School and my teacher, an Herbalist, a plant spirit healer, and so much more; Marysia Miernowska.

Diana Lemus
Learning from Marysia via The Gaia School of California was an invaluable and transformative life experience. I went in expecting to “just” be trained in herbalism and the wise woman tradition, yet underwent a complete spiritual journey of personal healing and reintegration of myself. The way the curriculum was structured allowed us to gain incredible, yet easy to digest insight into the tradition. Each month built upon the deep roots or foundation laid in the beginning months. Marysia embodies every aspect of the Earth goddess that she teaches about. Her knowledge of and enthusiasm for earth medicine is unlike anyone else I’ve experienced in this field. Taking this course became a complete reboot on personal and professional priorities that I so needed and am eternally grateful for. I recommend it to everyone who wants to reclaim their wild self!

Jamie Pelayo
The Gaia school of Healing and Earth Education was an incredible experience that I recommend to anyone curious of plant medicine, with a love for the earth and spirit. This course was nourishing to my mind, body and soul in more ways than one. Incredibly healing, this course is transformational - not just with knowledge but also with life. The sense of community and love built between classmates and classes is something I will cherish forever in my heart.

Melissa Pierce
I love this class. I love meditating with the plants. It provided a learning and a knowing that I could never get from studying alone. It has been such a magnificent journey. A journey into myself and my relationship with mother earth. A deeper understanding of who I am and how I operate in a group. Marysia, you are so filled with knowledge and joy and vitality. Learning from you is a great pleasure and your spirit inspires me. I love you and our group so much. Your “fuck yes!” has been the most surprising and powerful tool for me. We all have a great knowing living inside of us. It has taken me a long time to be honest with myself and choices and trust my “Yes.” Indecision is my burden and often a way I hide from myself. There is something so powerful for me in the simplicity of connecting to the “fuck yes” that has really helped. I wish there was more Gaia. I wish class were more than once a month. I want to continue. I want to go deeper. I feel there is some much more to learn. This class has opened a world to me I have been searching for. It is just my beginning. I am so grateful. Thank you!

Jill Losquadro
I freaking love everything about your teachings. You lead the most kick ass meditations ever. It’s the way you talk. It's so sultry. Your love of the plants and deep knowledge of the medicine is such a gift. You have forever changed my life and I am super grateful. I love and adore you.

Fabienne Farris-Gilbert
The gratitude I feel for you and this program is beyond words. For so long I have been searching for you and all of my Gaia family and I feel full. Fully seen, fully held, fully whole. The time we spend in the tent in sacred space together is so cherished and the plant meditations are out of this world... literally. From the curation of all the readings to the sacred rituals we have been sharing in class, everything feels perfectly aligned and so graciously offered to us. I loved the Earth Whisper ritual and was moved so deeply by that. I will continue to practice this ritual whenever called and especially on the cusp of the deep dream of winter like we did in class. The facebook forum is another incredible aspect to the class. It is such a safe space for sharing and I am amazed (but not surprised) by how wonderful and knowledgeable each member of the community is. I continue to be amazed by the way you hold space for all students and the plants in class. Your wisdom, grace, eloquence, and essence are so inspiring. Along with all of my plant spirit allies that I carry with me in my life and work I also carry you with me as one of my greatest teachers and allies. I can't imagine my life without this class, this community, and you. Thank you so!

Casey Kalmenson
I come home after every class and say “That was the best class ever.” So, I just want to say thank you. Thank you for this life- changing journey that I am going to be carrying with me for the rest of my life. Also, your energy is so unique and you are such an amazing inspiration in my life! I find myself talking about the lessons I learn from you all the time.

Jasmin Bersamin
I have learned so much in class and in the readings, but especially from the plants. I am grateful for the opportunity to drink in all of this knowledge and integrate it into my own life.

Eliana Yoneda
Oh my goodness, I am so in love with this journey. I knew I needed to find a way to immerse myself in plant medicine and also focus on healing myself, and I knew that the Gaia school sounded amazing, but I could not have imagined how beautiful and transformative this experience would be. I love our weekends together, and only wish that I was closer to LA to be more connected to everyone throughout the month. The experiences that you share with us in class are so magickal and sacred. I also love the home practices as reminders to stay connected to the current of transformation all month. I’m so ecstatically grateful to be a part of this school, and for all that you have done to make that possible for me and for each of us. I just don’t want it to end!

Katie Gemmer
This has been amazing. Marysia, your knowledge is incredible. I always feel grounded and inspired.

Andrea Gargotta
I am deeply grateful for the love, healing support and guidance of these magical plants. The beauty of receiving the medicine in nature through meditation in a safe, nurturing container has been profound. The timing of this program couldn’t have been more perfect in that it’s guiding, supporting and holding me in this rich, beautiful, and challenging journey. Your ability to create and hold space with such grace and vulnerability is what makes this program so special and unique. Thank You for showing up and guiding us to deeply connect with Earth- the most powerful practice we all need to make this world a more peaceful and beautiful place.

Sara Mangano
Well, where do I begin? You’ve taught me how to slow down, create sacred space, connect with plants, elements, beings and ancestors, and nurture myself. I’ve undergone a huge transformation, and a release of some very deep grief (I think I’m still releasing, but it’s good). I feel like I’m living the parable of the cave. You know the story – once they left the cave and experienced what was possible, they couldn’t go back. That’s what it’s like for me. Now that I’ve experienced the world of medicinal plants, I can’t go back and live without them. They’re now a part of my life. Even though I feel like a real beginner, it’s not stopping me in any way. I am approaching this experience like a child with eyes and heart wide open. I believe that is the greatest gift that the Gaia course offers – that no matter what level you’re at, the plants will speak to you, and you’ll grow, just like they do. So, I wouldn’t change a thing. I hope you’ll talk to us soon about Gaia Rhythms, and how we can continue on in our growth as Green Witches after we graduate in June. I hope that is the end of a chapter, but not the end of the book. May I say that I’m sure I speak for all of us when I say that we little green witchlings love you with all our hearts. Your amazing knowledge, grace, and wisdom is a wonder to behold! Thank you!!!

Judy Nelson
I would like you to know the deep gratitude I have for this journey, that I find hard to put into words, So far, it is a priceless journey into self, via the planet and all of her magick. The plant meditations are obviously very potent. The home practice is so fun and engaging, from the readings, to making fire cider. I would enjoy even more at-home activities. I love Gaia school so much that I would even appreciate shortening the lunch break, so we have more time for the plants and learning… but maybe that’s just me! Love!!!

Mary DeLorenzo-Woods
The most helpful journey thus far was going deep within the reproductive system, connecting and working with different plants in order to regulate and decrease my menstrual cycle. Being diagnosed with menorrhagia has been a challenge. If I can successfully regulate and reduce, I would love to share my experience and knowledge to the community of women who have challenges with menorrhagia as well.

Tmesha Young